Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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Credits
ACHTUNG! CTHULHU CREATED BY CHRIS BIRCH
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Federico Sohns, Virginia Page,
Editors John Houlihan, Shaun Hocking Sales Manager
John Houlihan, Sam Webb, Federico Rhys Knight
Sohns Achtung! Cthulhu Line
Development Customer Service
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Graphic Designers John Houlihan, Gavin Dady, Lloyd Gyan
Matthew Comben, Richard L. Gale, Federico Sohns, Sam Webb
Michal E. Cross Office Manager
Chief Creative Officer Shaun Hocking
Layout Chris Birch
Richard L. Gale, Michal E. Cross Data Analyst
Chief Operations Officer Benn Grayeaton
Art Directors Rita Birch
Katya Thomas, Federico Sohns, Bookkeeper
Cover Artists
Boris Martsev
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John Houlihan, Jon Webb, Chris Birch Managing Director
Cameron Dicks
Head of Product
Valya Mkrtchyan
Playtesters
Massive thanks to the Achtung!
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Sam Webb Cthulhu Kickstarter backers from
2013, the playtesters for the new 2d20
edition and everyone who’s been part
of the Modiphius family
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LEGAL
Achtung! Cthulhu ® Modiphius Entertainment 2020.
Artwork © Modiphius Entertainment Ltd 2020.
The Achtung! Cthulhu, Nachtwölfe, Black Sun,
Section M, Majestic & Modiphius Logos
© 2012-2020 Modiphius Entertainment Ltd.
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Achtung! Cthulhu
Quickstart
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Characters ........................................................9
Tests ...................................................................10
Momentum .......................................................12
Action and Conflict ........................................14
Magic .................................................................18
Mission: A Quick Trip to France .................20
Black Sun Forces ............................................33
Mythos Creatures ............................................35
Pregenerated Characters ............................. 36
Tests: Quick Reference ..................................44
What is
Introduction What is Achtung! Cthulhu?
Achtung! Cthulhu?
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Growing up as a British kid on a diet of Weird War and
Sgt. Rock comics fuelled a thousand ‘weird’ battles
with my Airfix soldiers and tanks. It wasn’t until I read
H.P. Lovecraft’s At The Mountains of Madness that things
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clicked. What if the Nazis reached the ancient city in
Antartica first, what if there was a ‘secret war’ taking
place, behind the scenes, to ensure the Nazis didn’t
awaken a greater evil? This went beyond the usual staple
of mere vampires, zombies and werewolves in World War
Two, it was a much deeper storyline.
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Heroes of the Sea by Sarah Newton, as Section D agents
learned of a new menace growing behind enemy lines. We
followed that up with the Achtung! Cthulhu Kickstarter in
early 2013, which was only supposed to launch a couple of
books, but thanks to over 1700 amazing backers, 11 books,
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a load of miniatures, merchandise, and more were funded.
The books were developed with rules for both Savage
Worlds and Call of Cthulhu 6th edition to reach as wide an
audience as possible and went on to win many awards.
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Introduction What is Achtung! Cthulhu?
Achtung! Cthulhu drops you into an epic age old secret every battle, you’ll need to dig deep into forbidden tomes,
war, which started with the conflict between the old ancient spells, esoteric knowledge, forge uneasy alliances
gods that saw the fall of Hyperborea, Atlantis, the Roman and mix that with a healthy dose of experimental weapons,
Empire, Napoleonic Wars, World War Two, and will be or “funnies” as us Brits like to call them!
fought through many aeons to come.
Our very own Achtung! Cthulhu characters walk a fine
The age old terror represented by the Cthulhu Mythos line between light and dark. Natalya the Belarussian tank
promises destruction and chaos on such an epic scale that commander possessed by the raw fury of the deep forests
our heroes can only delay the end by a few more years. and Arianne the French resistance agent bound to an
Achtung! Cthulhu promises a tiny sliver of hope. The ancient demon, are just two examples. What sacrifices will
real heroes of World War II, normal people who became you make to defeat the Cthulhu Mythos in this world?
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resistance fighters or soldiers, feared that the Nazi war
machine was just as undefeatable as we imagine Cthulhu, Now this new edition of Achtung! Cthulhu, built using
yet they still fought on. They fought often without hope our own cinematic 2d20 game system dials up the ‘weird’
for themselves, but that someone else might get the chance to expand on the original game with more secret bases,
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to end the war. This hope was well founded: the vast more ancient mysteries, more terrifying creatures, fantastic
machinery of the Third Reich was finally defeated though technology, and some exciting hints of what’s to come. It is
by terrible sacrifices by the allied nations. a secret war that isn’t just limited to the 20th Century, but
spans millenia. We’ve got your six, so get ready because the
Secret War has begun!
I HOPE YOU ARE INSPIRED
TO LEARN ABOUT THE REAL Until next time, Keep calm and carry on, soldier!
PEOPLE THAT INSPIRE THESE
TALES OF HEROISM.
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Achtung! Cthulhu throws you in to this epic struggle ready
to go guns blazing against the forces of the Cthulhu Mythos
as they jostle for control of Earth. However, guns won’t win
— Chris Birch, Section M HQ.
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Secret Forces of the
Introduction Secret Forces of the Secret War
Secret War
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Section M
“We’ve not got much time. Or much hope. But, we do have success is due to a combination of those great British
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a stiff-upper lip. So that’ll just have to do.” virtues — indomitability and luck — while leaning on
the cosmopolitan diversity of its former Empire to fill in
— Viscount Alexander ‘Alec’ Towton Head of Section M
any gaps. By war’s end it has matured into a formidable
fighting force.
Section M’s mission is to oppose and foil Black Sun and
Nachtwölfe’s worst machinations and serve as Britain’s
The strength of Section M lies in its unorthodoxy, its
front line occult force in the Secret War. It’s always
faintly amateur ethos and its adaptability, reacting
playing catch up, as it was not officially brought into
directly to situations without the burden of endless
being until 1939, but ‘better late than never’, say
bureaucracy. Its chief, Sir Alec Towton is a brave and
Section M’s operatives, that’s just the nature of war.
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Despite its initial over reliance on a forgotten archive
of Victoriana and a talent for improvisation and making
do — Section M survives and eventually thrives. Its
indefatigable leader, adept at spotting an array of talent
and harnessing it for Section M’s exacting needs. Its
most notable operatives include Corporal Akhee “the
Eye” Singh, Captain “Badger” Harris, Natalya Petrova,
and “Mad” Jack McMasters.
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Majestic
“The Nazis are meddling with forces they shouldn’t and that firepower and technology, mixed with raw courage and
means we have to get our hands dirty too. The only way to tenacity, to create a flexible fighting force which serves
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survive is to fight fire with fire.” across many fronts with distinction.
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Black Sun
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Black Sun practices foul sorcery and summons evil
castle and driven by its ruthless leader, Reinhardt
creatures from other dimensions to rule the battlefields
Weissler and his four Priors, the Order of the Black Sun
of men. Even though their warrior-sorcerers, trooper
works inexorably toward its primary goal, acquiring
foot soldiers and captive horrors become a terror to
the magic and artefacts necessary to free Yog-Sothoth
the allies, Black Sun’s practical work for Hitler’s brutal
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from its solar prison in the Dreamlands, and unleash it
regime is not its true aim.
upon this dimension. There it will shine its unholy light
on Earth and rain destruction and terror on mankind
In the strange, alien place between wakefulness and
forever more.
sleep, one finds the Dreamlands, a realm beyond the veil
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Nachtwölfe
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“Science, technology, an indomitable will to power, and the Nachtwölfe specialists stalk the battlefield and are
Blauer Kristall, these are the tools we will use to prevail instantly recognisable by the eerie blue glow of their
against all our enemies, both foreign and domestic.” advanced weaponry and technology, fabricated by the
scientific staff who pursue Mina Wolff’s vision of an
— Mina Wolff, head of Nachtwölfe.
advanced Germany. Nonetheless, their methods are still
without conscience and ethical or moral considerations
Nachtwölfe, the Night Wolves, were originally part of Black
and Nachtwölfe creates many horrors of its own. The
Sun, until Mina Wolf’s great betrayal when she split from
Cerberus-Gruppe actively encourage their staff to push
Exarch Reinhardt Weissler, splintering off to form her own
the limits of science using highly questionable methods.
occult organisation with the tacit backing of the Fuhrer.
“The ends justify the means” is their warped thinking in
Nachtwölfe’s primary focuses are science, technology,
creating this new order for the Third Reich. Senior staff
progress, biological enhancements and wonder weapons
include Gerd Schmidt, commander of the Nachtwölfe
(wunderwaffen) powered by Blauer Kristall (Blue Crystal) to
elite Wolf Guards and Krafft Heimburg, head of the
help win the war for Nazi Germany. They scour the world
scientific division.
for rare Atlantean technology, looking to learn its secrets
while harvesting the rare Blauer Kristall which powers it.
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Achtung! Cthulhu 2b20
Chapter 1 Quickstart Rules
Quickstart Rules
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Into the Secret War
Amidst the battles of World War II, brave Allied heroes hope, the brave men and women of Britain’s Section M
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fight a Secret War against the Nazi forces of the occult, and the US’s Majestic, whose task is to take the fight to
the fearsome Black Sun who favour magic and monsters, these foes and foil the Nazi occult threat.
and their fierce rivals Nachtwölfe—the Night Wolves—
who use ancient technology and forgotten secrets to
make terrifying wonder weapons. Challenge Dice Result
D6 RESULT CHALLENGE DICE RESULT
With their terrible Mythos allies, these factions are on
the verge of tipping the course of the war in favour of 1 1
their Nazi masters. Yet opposing them are the Allies’ last
2 2
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0
1, plus Effect
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Before you begin to read though this quickstart guide
6 1, plus Effect
and play Achtung! Cthulhu it’s a good idea to check
you have the following materials:
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Twenty-sided dice – also known as d20s. These
are used for resolving skill tests. You will usually
roll two twenty-sided dice, or 2d20, but as many WHAT IS 2D20?
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score of 2, two scores of 0 and two faces with Momentum can be used to create cinematic
the Effect symbol. action or gain advantageous effects, but
other players can also use it gain additional
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Six-sided dice otherwise referred to as d6 can
also be used instead of Challenge Dice, if so you’ll d20s for their own rolls.
need at least six between all the players. You can
consult the Challenge Dice Results table for the Players also have the option to give the
equivalent Challenge Dice result. gamemaster something called “Threat” points,
to purchase additional d20s for their rolls,
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Tokens to keep track of Momentum and Threat but this comes at a risk. Threat represents
(covered later). You will need six tokens for everything that can go wrong in an adventure
Momentum and a dozen for Threat; it helps if they and is a gamemaster resource to make the
are two different colours. character’s lives interesting if they push
their luck!
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Paper, pens, and pencils to make notes and
draw maps.
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Characters
ATTRIBUTES
Agility. A mixture of speed and balance, which is
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responsible for your character’s movement and motion.
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Coordination. Your character’s fine motor skills,
accuracy, and sense of time and rhythm.
SKILLS e
Academia. Your character’s ability to study new information,
and when trying to recall facts about a subject.
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Athletics. Your character’s physical conditioning, and
their ability to exert force and move their body in a
variety of ways.
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Tests
Chapter 1 Quickstart Rules
Whenever a character attempts to complete an activity b. Each die that rolls a natural 1 scores two successes.
where the outcome is in doubt, or where failure would be
c. Each die that rolls a 20 causes a complication (see
interesting, the character attempts a test.
Complications, p.11)
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the test, then the test fails. Any successes in excess
of the difficulty of the test generate Momentum (see
1. The gamemaster chooses which attribute and
Momentum, p.12)
skill are appropriate for the test being attempted,
sometimes in conjunction or after a negotiation 6. The gamemaster describes the outcome of the test.
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with a player. They also consider if the character has If the test is passed, the player may spend Momentum
any applicable focuses. Add together the attribute and to improve the result further. After this, the effects of
skill chosen, this is the target number for the test. any complications are applied.
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3. The player rolls their dice pool. The player takes
two d20s, and may choose to purchase up to three
additional d20s by spending Momentum, adding to
Threat or using Fortune (see Improving the Odds, p.11).
Once additional dice have been purchased—if any—the
characters usually attempt a skill test with a base difficulty
of 1. The outcome of the opposed test depends on each
character’s results.
Some tests may be reduced to difficulty 0. Both Characters Succeed: Compare the total
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Difficulty 0 tests do not require a dice roll: they Momentum generated on each character’s skill test.
are automatically successful with no risk of The character with the higher Momentum wins,
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complications. However, because no roll is made, and achieves their goal, but loses one Momentum
they cannot generate Momentum—even bonus for each Momentum their opponent scored. The
Momentum from talents, even for particularly loser then loses all the Momentum they generated,
advantageous situations—and the character cannot and they cannot spend any. In the case of a tie, the
spend any Momentum on the test’s outcome either. active character wins, but loses all the Momentum
they generated.
At the gamemaster’s discretion, a character can roll the
dice on a test with a difficulty of 0 and can generate
Momentum as normal (because zero successes are
TRUTHS
required, every success generates Momentum), but A truth is a single word or short phrase, which describes
this comes with the normal risk of complications as a significant fact or aspect about its subject. Truths define
well. This sort of difficulty 0 test can be useful if it’s what is and what isn’t possible, and whether skill tests
important how successful a character is, but there’s no are easier or harder to attempt. If a truth stops being
real chance of failure. important, or ceases to be true, it is no longer a truth.
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Chapter 1 Quickstart Rules
In rules terms, if the truth applies, it does one of the
following:
TEST DIFFICULTY
Unless otherwise noted, most tests have a base difficulty
The truth makes an action easier, reducing the
? of 1. Routine or straightforward tests might have a
difficulty of the skill test by 1. base difficulty of 0, while harder more challenging tests
will have higher difficulties. After this the gamemaster
The truth makes something more difficult, increasing
? considers if there are any additional factors in the current
the difficulty of the skill test by 1.
scene, or affecting the characters involved, that would
The truth makes an action possible, or impossible.
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gamemaster can add a number after the name of the
truth, increasing the modifier of the difficulty. For
Example Difficulties
example, Smoke could be made more intense by calling DIFFICULTY EXAMPLE
it Smoke 2, making the difficulty to shoot through the
0 Researching a widely known subject
smoke increase by 2, rather than 1.
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1 Overcoming a simple lock
COMPLICATIONS 2 Driving across challenging terrain
Sometimes unforeseen problems crop up or there are Does your disguise pass muster
3
inescapable consequences for acting, these come in the under intense scrutiny?
form of complications; a truth that has a uniquely negative
impact on the characters they affect. Complications make Deciphering an unknown
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skill tests harder or impossible after they are introduced. alien language
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Complications can occur in one of a few ways:
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Momentum
Chapter 1 Quickstart Rules
Each success above and beyond the difficulty of a test The GM typically begins each adventure with 2 Threat
becomes one point of Momentum, which the character for each player present at the start of the session. They
may use immediately, or save for later. Momentum is a gain Threat in the following ways:
valuable pooled resource that allows characters to improve
upon their successes or gain additional benefits. Threatening Circumstances: The environment or
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circumstances of a new scene may be perilous enough
The Momentum pool cannot contain more than 6 to warrant adding one or two Threat to the pool auto-
Momentum at any time. matically. Some important NPCs may generate Threat
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simply by arriving in a scene, in response to changes
Bonus Momentum in the situation, or by taking certain actions. This also
Some situations, items, and talents grant a character bonus includes activities that escalate the tension
Momentum. This is added to the amount of Momentum of the scene, such as NPCs raising an alarm.
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you generate from a successful skill test. Sometimes it is
Non-Player Character Momentum: NPCs with
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specified that bonus Momentum can only be used in a
unspent Momentum from their skill tests cannot save
specific way, such as buying dice, or obtaining information.
it like player characters can: NPCs don’t have a group
Momentum pool. Instead, an NPC may add to Threat,
Bonus Momentum cannot be saved to a Momentum pool:
adding one Threat for every Momentum they have
if it is not used when it is generated, it is lost forever.
remaining.
listed below.
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The most common ways to use Momentum are
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Create Truth: For 2 points of Momentum, create
Non-Player Character Momentum: NPCs can spend
a truth for a character or the target of an action.
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Threat in all the ways that player characters use
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Obtain Information: For each Momentum spent Momentum.
the character’s player asks the gamemaster a
Non-Player Character Threat Spends: When a player
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single question about the situation, environment,
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THREAT Threat each, while Notable NPCs cost two and Major
NPCs three.
As player characters generate and spend Momentum,
Environmental Effects and Narrative Changes:
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the gamemaster generates their own currency, called
The gamemaster may trigger or cause problems with
Threat. The GM spends Threat to alter scenes, empower
the scene or environment by spending Threat.
non-player characters, and generally make things more
challenging, perilous, or unpredictable for the player
characters. Players can also add to the Threat pool instead
of spending Momentum.
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Chapter 1 Quickstart Rules
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NTER OF THIS KIND...
THEY WERE NOT PREPARED FOR A CLOSE ENCOU
FORTUNE
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than five Fortune points at any time. Any excess nity to respond.
points are immediately discarded. Each player may
Avoid Defeat: The character may spend a Fortune
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only spend one Fortune point per scene.
point when they are defeated to return from defeat,
either immediately, or at some point later in that scene.
Here are some common ways players can benefit when
spending Fortune: Make It Happen: The player introduces a new
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fact or detail about the current scene, which takes
Critical Success: A Fortune point may be spent
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before a skill test to set a single d20 so that it auto- creating it, though it may represent something
matically rolls a 1 (generating two successes auto- happening in a flashback, or it may be assumed to
matically). This option must be selected before any have always been true but only now becomes rele-
dice are rolled on that skill test, and you must roll the vant. This must be used before rolling the dice on a
remaining dice in the pool. skill test, and it can only affect the skill test it has
been created for.
Reroll: A Fortune point may be spent to reroll any
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number of dice in the character’s dice pool (d20s or
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Action and Conflict
Chapter 1 Quickstart Rules
Embracing its heroic, pulp-flavoured nature, action scenes Close range is defined as the zone you are in, or a
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in Achtung! Cthulhu are fast-paced and enthralling, distance of 0 zones.
requiring quick decision-making and decisive action on
Medium range is defined as an adjacent zone, or a
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the part of its players.
distance of 1 zone.
ZONES AND DISTANCES Long range is defined as two zones away, or a distance
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of 2 zones.
To visualize your place in an action scene, it’s important
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Extreme range is any zone beyond long range, or a
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to keep track of which zone your character is in. Zones
distance of 3 or more zones.
are defined by the terrain around them and tracking a
character can simple be a matter of description—an enemy
might be ‘behind the control panel’ or ‘in the corridor’. ROUNDS AND TURNS
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This has the advantage of relying on natural language and
An action scene is a sequence divided into rounds and
intuitive concepts.
turns. During a round, each character takes a single turn.
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The state of reach is when an object or character is
within arm’s length or melee weapon range. Reach
isn’t a specific range, but rather is a state that you can
enter when you move. When you move into or within
a zone, you can move into or out of reach of an object
characters on both sides have taken a turn, one point
of Momentum is lost from the PCs’ group Momentum
pool. The action passes to a character on whichever side
did not take the last turn, and the whole process begins
again for the next round.
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or character. Being within reach of an enemy increases
the difficulty of any skill test that isn’t a melee or ACTIONS IN COMBAT
mental attack by 2.
Each turn, a character can attempt a single major action,
and a single minor action.
You can take one minor action on your turn. You can
spend 1 Momentum to take one additional minor action
Sometimes the players will be given control of (once per turn), and each minor action can only be taken
an allied non-player character. An NPC under the once per turn.
command of a player character does not receive a
turn in a conflict; instead their actions are resolved Aim: You can reroll 1d20 when you make an attack
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as part of the actions of the PCs commanding them. this turn.
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Chapter 1 Quickstart Rules
Conflict Momentum Spends
In addition to the previously mentioned Momentum spends the following are available in combat:
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If within reach, one weapon held by the target is knocked away and falls to
Disarm 2 or 3 the ground. This costs 2 Momentum if the target is holding the weapon in
one hand, or 3 Momentum if the weapon is held in two hands.
Knockdown 2 The target is knocked prone.
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Minor Action 1 The character may attempt one additional minor action during their turn.
An additional target within reach of the primary target is also affected by the
Secondary Target 2
attack, suffering the full effects of the attack.
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Assist: You assist a character with a skill test during
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their turn. It may be that you assist them before your
turn, in which case your major action is taken up by
doing so when it comes to your turn. Roll 1d20 using
a reaction to something else. When the trigger event
occurs, you temporarily interrupt the current charac-
ter’s turn to resolve your readied major action, and
then play proceeds as normal. If the triggering event
does not occur before your next turn, the action is
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lost. You can still perform minor actions during your
your own attribute + skill combination. Successes
turn as normal.
you score are added to the assisted character’s,
providing they score at least 1 success. Assisting char- Rush: You sprint as fast as you can, making an Agility
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acters never roll more than 1d20 + Athletics test with a difficulty of 2, to move
anywhere within long range. You can’t take this action
Attack: You attack an enemy or object (see Making an
? if you’ve already taken the Move minor action. Loca-
Attack, p.16).
tion truths may increase the difficulty of this skill test,
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1. Declare the Attack: Choose a target that you can If the character suffers 5 or more stress from a single
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see, and a weapon to use. If you want to make a attack or hazard after reduction for resistance.
melee attack you must be within reach of the target, if
The character’s stress track is filled.
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you want to make a ranged attack you must be able to
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see the target. The character already had a full stress track and takes
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further stress.
2. Skill Test: You attempt a skill test, determined by
If two or more of these conditions occur at the same
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the type of attack. Each type of attack may have fur-
time, characters may suffer multiple injuries.
ther adjustments to difficulty.
a. Melee: Attempt an Agility + Fighting test with a Each injury you suffer increases the complication range
difficulty of 1, opposed by the target’s own Agility of your skill tests by 1 until treated. Once a character
+ Fighting test, also difficulty 1. has suffered three injuries, in any combination, they are
defeated and can no longer act in the scene. If a character
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b. Ranged: Attempt a Coordination + Fighting Test,
with a base difficulty of 1, if you are within range.
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Chapter 1 Quickstart Rules
Against mental attacks, a character applies resistance
? Drain: The attack or hazard is especially debilitating.
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from courage and morale. Courage represents a The character hit suffers one fatigue for each effect
character’s confidence and discipline, while morale rolled.
is the certainty that comes from being inspired or
Intense: The attack has an especially potent effect. If
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encouraged by others.
one or more Effects are rolled, and the attack inflicts
one or more injuries, the attack inflicts one additional
Characters do not start with any resistance. Cover and
injury.
morale typically come from circumstances – locations
and actions – rather than being part of the character, Persistent X: The attack or hazard has a lingering
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and therefore a character doesn’t start with any cover or effect. If one or more Effects are rolled, the target
morale either. suffers X stress (of the same type as the initial attack
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or hazard) at the start of the affected character’s turn,
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on conventional dice (See Challenge Dice Result Table, p.8),
ignore X resistance for each Effect rolled.
they may generate a weapon effect, which comes into play
and deals additional stress. These are usually noted in a Snare: The attack or hazard can entangle and bind the
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weapon’s stress statistic. Some weapon effects are listed target. The target cannot take any actions of a type
with an X, which is replaced by a number depending on determined by the type of attack or hazard (physical
the weapon, and apply to every effect symbol that is rolled actions for physical attacks, etc.) other than to try and
in the dice pool. break free. It requires a skill test with a difficulty equal
to the number of Effects rolled to break free.
Area: The attack or hazard hits one additional target
? Stun: The attack or hazard leaves the target momen-
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within close range of the initial target for every Effect
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rolled. Secondary targets suffer the attack’s full effects.
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Chapter 1 Quickstart Rules
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Magic
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Both Axis and Allies have their own distinct approaches to
the learning and wielding of magic. Magic has been divided
research-driven occultists are typically self-taught or part
of clandestine societies, limiting their knowledge base
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into two separate and distinct disciplines: and making them greedy for more knowledge rather than
cautious and reverent. Researchers can learn any spell, but
The first is “battlefield magic”, shorter-term enchantments, are often led to the Mythos, which is dangerous in its own
spells, curses, hexes, charms and blessings, which are right.
primarily used to aid forces involved in combat.
Dabbler
The second is ritualistic magic; more complicated and A character might stumble upon a useful fragment of
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intricate, but conversely immensely more potent and occult knowledge, perhaps an eldritch tome composed
powerful. It is this kind of magic used to communicate by some maddened scribe, which grants them knowledge
with strange forces and higher darker beings, or effect of a spell. Coming from such a dubious source, such
permanent and lasting change in the mortal plane. learnt spells are flawed and extremely dangerous, and the
character may find it difficult to expand their knowledge
Power
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Chapter 1 Quickstart Rules
To cast a battlefield spell spellcasters must first prepare Some spells may allow their target to resist the effects.
their mantle, choosing which spells they wish to hold This turns the skill test to cast the spell into an opposed
ready. A spellcaster may have a number of spells in their test and the attribute and skill combination the resisting
mantle equal to their power. Preparing these spells requires character uses will be mentioned in the spell’s description.
a difficulty 0 skill test, which takes a number of minutes The resisting character’s test uses the spell’s difficulty.
equal to the difficulty of each spell added together. The
attribute and skill used varies – traditional spellcasters In addition, spellcasters learn techniques to ward
use Insight + Survival, research spellcasters use Reason themselves against the supernatural, and the practicalities
+ Academia, and dabblers use Will + Resilience. Once of war have made those techniques more necessary than
prepared, a spellcaster’s mantle contains the chosen spells ever for countering hostile magic.
until they sleep or are otherwise rendered unconscious.
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Spellcasters of all types gain the following reaction:
CASTING A BATTLEFIELD Counterspell: This does not count towards the bound
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MAGIC SPELL spells in your mantle. Once per round, you may use
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During an action scene, a spellcaster may attempt to cast this when an enemy you can see attempts to cast a
the spells in their mantle. This requires the use of the spell. You roll your power dice; for each Effect rolled,
Prepare minor action and a major action. Spellcasting can the difficulty of the enemy’s spell increases by +1. A
only be attempted once per turn. spellcaster who uses this reaction may not attempt to
cast a spell in their following turn.
The skill used by the spell is determined by the spell’s
description, as is the difficulty of the skill test to cast the This ability is a core element of sorcerous duels—both
spell. The attribute used for this skill test depends on the participants know that they cannot easily cast spells while
type of spellcaster the character is: traditional spellcasters the other can counterspell, but using a counterspell prevents
use Insight, research spellcasters use Reason, and the caster from using spells of their own, creating a tension
dabblers use Will.
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All battlefield spells have a cost, which is paid when
casting, which takes the form of a number of dice of
mental stress inflicted on the character. A character’s
between the spellcasters as each waits for an opening.
Skilled practitioners of magic can often wield their when casting a spell. However, due to the delicate,
spells with deftness and precision, turning their skill and complicated nature of spellcasting, the complication
knowledge into greater effects. Some spells have specific range of a skill test to cast a spell is increased by the
ways that they can use Momentum generated when spell’s difficulty, so a spell with a difficulty of 2 suffers a
casting, but there are also a number of common uses for complication on a 19 or 20, not just a 20.
Momentum listed here.
Further, the effects of a complication when
Sa
RESISTING MAGIC AND back from the dead. Gamemasters should apply their
creativity, ingenuity and sense of fun to devise some
MAGICAL DUELS truly spectacular and devious effects when a spell
Although magic is a potent and dangerous force, it is not is miscast. However, if the spell is successfully cast,
all-powerful and in some cases, spells may be resisted. the spell’s effects will still occur – even complications
Sometimes a spellcaster will have to overcome the innate when spellcasting cannot turn success into failure, it
willpower, resistance and ego of a subject to have a spell can only produce additional effects.
take effect.
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Mission:
Chapter 2 A Quick Trip to France
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Introduction
This Quickstart adventure for the Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20 read through before you play it for the first time, paying
fil
system begins in media res. The team has already received special attention to Scene 4: The Summoning, to give you
their mission briefing and is getting close to the drop zone an idea of how the adventure progresses and the options
in the first scene. But as the gamemaster, you need to available to you and the players. The synopsis below
know the background for the rest of the adventure before summaries the adventure and the events leading up to it.
you get them to jump out of the plane! It is recommended Rules will be introduced throughout the adventure and for
that, as the gamemaster, you give this adventure a quick ease of reference are clearly marked with page references.
Synopsis
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It is June, 1940. The Black Sun, one of the major occult
forces within the Nazi regime, has stormed in to take
over the French village of Saint Sulac. The Black Sun are
event which triggered Aramis to make a hasty report to
London about this unexpected and bizarre event.
pl
led by a Master, Jans Stöller, whose recent discovery of While Aramis was attempting to make his report, his
a forgotten tome known as the Azeus Demonicium has Resistance fighters got caught up in a firefight with the
revealed that the chateau at the centre of the village is Black Sun, resulting in his handlers in London receiving a
built on a site of supreme occult significance. garbled and incomplete message.
Contained within the warren of caves below the chateau These events made the upper echelon of Section M, the
is a chamber which holds the Altar of Obeisance, a long British occult intelligence agency, very nervous: Stöller
m
forgotten pre-Roman artefact from a dark Gaulish cult is a rising star within the Nazi occult organisation. What
who were devoted to the worship of the Mythos God, could he be doing in this sleepy French village? As a
Nyarlathotep. Anyone who is able to perform certain result, Section M have put together a team in a hurry and
dark rites on that altar will be able to summon an aspect dispatched them to investigate.
of Nyarlathotep and receive his direct blessing, growing
enormously in power and might. While the players do not know this at first, Aramis and his
comrade, Jean-Paul, escaped from the firefight and may
Stöller’s ambition knows no bounds and he seeks to use be able to provide some assistance. Aramis was shot and
Sa
this rite to elevate himself within Black Sun’s ranks to injured; however, he managed to escape following the
become a Black Sun Canon. He is determined to secure the attack and has found refuge in the cellar of a nearby farm.
dark god’s blessing before his rivals within the Cult can
beat him to it and he has assembled a hand-picked team The players will land in France, make their way to Saint
of loyal Troopers to achieve his aim. Moving swiftly, he Sulac, and have been ordered to locate Aramis and find
has swooped in to secure the village and aims to complete out what is going on. He will be able to provide an
the ritual within a single night before anyone can interfere alternative entrance to the heavily guarded chateau,
with his plans. telling them of the ancient tunnels underneath the village,
one of which extends there from his dairy. Armed with
With the exception of the local resistance leader, Aramis, this knowledge, the players will be able to bypass the
none of the locals are skilled combatants. This is a rural considerable Black Sun defences, confront the diabolical
French village and the sudden Black Sun takeover was Jans Stöller, and hopefully stop him—before the Dark
a surprise to everyone, including the local German Pharaoh can be summoned!
commander whose garrison was summarily ordered out of
town. The Black Sun has also begun to remove villagers You begin this mission with 2 points of Threat for
from their houses as sacrifices for the upcoming ritual, an each player.
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